The "Are You Up For A Test In History?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Taking an online quiz asking me to name the eight cities that at one time or another were the Capital of the United States.  In the past I have written about the city of Lancaster, my home town, and the city of nearby York, Pennsylvania as being our Nation's Capital for a day or longer, but I didn't realize there were eight cities.  Can you name them without reading further?  Well, we all know that Washington, D.C. was, and still is, our Nation's Capital.  But, did you remember from your American History Class that Philadelphia, PA was the Nation's Capital from 1790 to 1800. The Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia and it served as a temporary capital while the White House was being constructed.  The architect for the White House was chosen in 1792 and it took eight years to construct which required Philadelphia to remain Capital until 1800.  Other cities that had the distinction of being our Nation's Capital were: Baltimore, Maryland; Princeton, New Jersey; Annapolis, Maryland; Trenton, New Jersey; and New York City.  It was in New York that George Washington became the first President, taking the oath at Federal Hall.  So now that you have our Nation's Capitals straight, how about U.S. cities that some people mistake as being the Capital of their respective state.  There are six of them that seem they ought to be the capital, due to population size, but aren't the capital.  Chicago, Illinois has 2.7 million residents, has famous museums and bold architecture, but isn't the state capital.  That honor goes to Springfield, Illinois.  Many people just assume that Philadelphia is the capital of Pennsylvania, since it is referred to as the City of Brotherly Love, won the World Series in 2008 and the Super Bowl in 2017 and are famous for  cheese steaks, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but the Capital of the state is the small city of Harrisburg that sits along the Susquehanna River.  And, in the state of New York, New York City is not the capital even though it has 8.6 million folks living there.  The state capital is about 135 miles north in the city of Albany.  This city was chosen in 1797 due to it central location and proximity to the Hudson River which made it a great choice at the time.  And how about the state of Kentucky.  What's the Capital of that state?  Makes sense that it would be Louisville since it is the largest city with a population over 620,000 and is known as the Derby City with over 150,000 people arriving at Chruchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby every year.  Instead the city of Frankfort, with only 30,000 residents, is the Capital.  It is located about 50 miles east of Louisville, in the Bluegrass Region of the state.  Do some of you think the the Capital of Nevada is Las Vegas.  Hey, it is the most populated city in the state, is home to world-class casinos as well as nightclubs and live entertainment.  But Carson City, located on Lake Tahoe with a population of 55,000 is the state Capital.  It was chosen Capital in 1864, about 40 years before that was a town called Las Vegas.  And finally, can you name the Capital of the state of Washington.  Seems like it ought to be Seattle which is located on the scenic Puget Sound and has a robust tech industry with a population of over 724,000, but it is the city of Olympia what has 51,000 people.  It is located just 60 miles south of Seattle, on the Puget Sound.  Well, how did you do?  I at least would have passed the test, but didn't have them all correct.  Not bad for not being in high school since the early 1960s.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.